Various medical therapies serve to reverse, halt, or at least aid in controlling symptoms that pertain to corresponding physical maladies. Prophylactic approaches, on the other hand, while possibly having one or more therapeutic qualities in some cases, primarily serve to prevent (completely or at least to a large extent) a corresponding physical malady.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one example of a physical malady that receives considerable attention as the National HealthCare Safety Network identified VAP as being the second most common hospital-acquired infection and one that is deadlier than either central line-associated bloodstream infections or sepsis. In response, various organizations have identified prophylactic regimens that offer a demonstrable ability to prevent VAP.
Such prophylactic regimens make use of a variety of prophylactic agents that require relatively frequent and periodic administration to the patient. These regimens are sufficiently complex that administration compliance issues can and do arise. The applicant has determined that existing approaches in these regards leave room for considerable improvement.
Common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.